The invention relates to an emergency eye wash station in use for flushing harmful material from the eyes of workers.
A variety of such emergency eye wash stations are known. For example, a portable eye wash station is disclosed in Liautaud U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,146. It includes an L-shaped basin housing with an inverted vertical eye wash cartridge connected through a fluid line to a nozzle in a horizontal basin. A sealing membrane is placed over the spout of the cartridge which is pierced when placed into the basin housing. The station is rigid and so it takes up a substantial amount of space. Also, since the liquid is continuously above the spray nozzle, plugs must be used which are removed manually at the time of use. Furthermore, there is no provision for storing the used liquid which is sprayed when the nozzles are activated, resulting in a potential spill.
Another system is marketed by Encon Safety Products of Houston, Tex. under Model 01-1040-50. This system includes a vertical tank and a connecting basin which pivots from a vertical to a horizontal position. A surgical tube between the basin and tank is stressed while the basin is vertical to prevent liquid flow prior to actuation. However, the stressed mechanism can lead to fatigue and failure of the tube. Also, the system has no means for automatic clean-up of the sprayed liquid.